Chapter 465

"Dad, I will find you."

"Must."

Gloriana, Como.

Six months later, this memorial hall of special significance was finally completed in early spring. It is surrounded by a park planted with olive trees, pine trees, eucalyptus trees and apricot blossoms, with a faint fragrance in the air, which is refreshing and pleasant.

This property belongs to a popular idol, along with the nearby green hills, the newly built castle on top of it, and the surrounding palaces and commercial streets.

I've heard that, apart from the memorial hall and the castle, the rest of the lands were part of the fiefdom granted to him by the royal family when he was granted the title of honorary duke.

"It's been a while since I've been here, and it's even quieter now."

The girl strolled alone in the park and entered the memorial hall. She took off her mask, revealing her beautiful face. She looked less timid and more serene than she had been six months ago. Even her beautiful emerald green eyes seemed to have darkened slightly, which, combined with her beauty mark, created an atmosphere of loneliness.

After Pure White announced that it would not be touring for a short period of time, she, Yayoi, Xiao Xuan, and Xiao Shu- Shu agreed to take a month-long vacation, and then said goodbye one after another and went home.

But unlike Kiriwake Yayoi and Xie Qingxuan, who have happy families, and Little Moons, who can go to Austria to find her mother.

Tang Liuli couldn't find any relatives. The person she was most familiar with was probably the butler grandpa at the café in Zhelong Town. She was practically homeless, and she didn't want to trouble anyone, so she simply went back to the old house where she and her parents had lived in Great Xia. She formally sorted out their belongings, along with some sculptures and paintings, and took them back to Gloriana.

These items arrived before her and have been placed in a memorial hall by professionals.

To be honest, returning to Gloriana was not a pleasant experience.

Even if Gloriana gifted her land, a title, and wealth, it meant nothing to her, who was born into wealth, became a national sensation in her childhood, reached the pinnacle of many stars' careers, and is now a world-class idol, Captain-Class Magical Girl, and is even featured in textbooks.

Perhaps Great Xia is more like her hometown than this place.

The only thing that can keep her here now is this ever-growing memorial hall, which has no guests at all.

How lonely she felt.

If one day we disband and stop being idols, I might actually do what people online say: return to the film and television industry and start a new acting career.

But that would be boring too, and I always feel like something's missing.

I don't know when it started, but a void has appeared in my heart, filled with a monastery that even the Soul Manipulation cannot erase. A thick fog forever hangs over it, mixed with the cool scent of incense and the crisp sound of the wooden fish, making me feel even more lonely for no reason.

For the past six months, she has only felt at ease when she is on stage, listening to the fans' shouts, or when she is with Charlotte, Xiao Xuan, Xiao Shu, and Yayoi.

When she's alone, she always feels uneasy, as if she can see the scene many years later when the team disbands, everyone goes their separate ways, and she's the only one left behind.

Perhaps... deep down, I still yearn for family.

Tang Liuli suppressed her melancholy thoughts. She had become more mature, mature enough to tolerate more similar emotions.

After passing through the exhibition area, we opened the back door and entered the courtyard.

My father's tombstone is right here.

The few paper flowers dyed with Scottish green pigment had been blown away by the wind and lay withered to one side. However, the area in front of the monument was not empty; there was a small, somewhat old wooden box with an enamel filigree decoration on its exterior, giving it an antique feel.

The girl walked in hesitantly, then squatted down as if possessed, picked up the wooden box. It was filled with a faint, cool incense scent that had become even more pronounced after being washed by the rain. Next to it was a bunch of white flowers that had long since dried up, withered, and yellowed at the edges, almost crumbling.

It is a rose, a rose from the height of summer.

Epilogue: Dad, please let me push this one! (Part 2)

The air is filled with the fragrance of flowers in early spring.

In a daze, I heard the loud chirping of cicadas in the height of summer.

The wooden box in his hands fell into his arms.

Tang Liuli's heart pounded like a drum, her blood surged like a torrent, causing her brain to spin. She couldn't explain what was wrong with her. The moment she saw this bouquet of blooming roses, memories of the past rushed back like a tsunami, making her breath quicken and gradually leaving her breathless.

But why?

I can't remember, I can't remember anything at all.

This is just a single blooming flower.

This is just a bunch of flowers that are almost broken and a little dirty.

It was probably left there by the security guard, or maybe it was a gift from a local fan?

Many guesses swirled in the girl's mind, but her body, oblivious to the strangeness, acted beyond her thoughts and picked up the nearly broken bunch of roses. She knelt on the ground, a smile playing on her lips, but she didn't even know why she was smiling. She was just staring blankly at the dried, thin, and fragranceless flower she was holding.

For a long, long time.

Tang Liuli softly recited a Song Dynasty poem:

"The last blooms of spring have faded, and spring is over. Few petals remain to adorn the branches."

The girl ran her fingertips along the yellowing branches and edges, and said:

"This isn't a newly opened rose."

"At least... it's been down and placed in front of the monument for more than half a year. Could it have been a gift from a fan?"

Six months later, this coincided with the moment when the Shining City was established. At that time, the area had not yet been guarded by government personnel, so it was possible for fans to sneak in and deliver flowers.

As for the reason for sending the tea leaves...

According to the "Jinglong Wenguan Ji", "During the Tang Dynasty, officials and scholars were summoned to eat cherries and drink tea rose wine. It was served on a Liuli plate and mixed with fragrant cheese." Later poets and writers also used this as a reference, using tea rose to wish people a high promotion or good luck.

Therefore, it wouldn't be strange for fans to send roses as gifts if one were in Great Xia.

However, there is no similar story in Gloriana.

Tang Liuli pursed her lips, and the magic in her hand dispersed like a thin mist, surrounding the nearly shattered rosebud. The spell structure was carefully unfolded, sealing it and the sunlight of the day into a transparent crystal.

The girl placed the crystal in the pocket closest to her heart, then looked down at the exquisite yet antique enamel box. With each heartbeat, indescribable emotions welled up within her: anticipation, joy, melancholy, loneliness, fear... So many bittersweet feelings were condensed in this moment. She was like Epimetheus about to open Pandora's box, being watched by the mysterious forces of fate.

Perhaps the answer lies within this.

As my thoughts settled, my fingertips caressed the wooden box, pressing a certain latch or mechanism, allowing a buried sentiment to see the light of day again. The vibrant colors were like Rainbow Light dancing on a lake, and fireworks even popped out of the box, accompanied by lively music, as if many little people were clapping inside.

In the next instant, gentle yet unfamiliar Magic Energy Particles constructed an immersive projection.

Under the bright sunset, the wheat fields, painted in a uniform color, swayed rhythmically in the wind.

A little girl with black hair and green eyes stands in the golden sea. She looks back and waves vigorously at someone, her smile bright and lovely. As the music moves, she begins to dance in circles like a swan in a music box, her white dress and black hair flowing freely, coexisting harmoniously with the rhythm of the wheat waves.

Tang Liuli's mind went blank. Memories hidden deep in her soul swirled, frozen at the most beautiful moment, leaving her lovely face expressionless.

How can I describe this feeling?

It's like a child who should be lonely and pitying themselves in the dark, hiding in a corner, is suddenly found by a group of friends carrying cakes and toys. They say things like, "Stop playing hide-and-seek, you idiot," while irrationally dragging you out of the corner.

Then, the sunlight fell on my shoulders, the shadows moved away from the darkness, and even the spiderwebs that had been growing in my heart melted away. From then on, the narrow world became wide, and the world was completely different.

The girl stared blankly at the projection on the box, subconsciously following the path of the magic, touching the inner wall of the wooden box. The golden wheat waves in front of her disappeared and turned into glaciers in Hokkaido. The style of the painting also began to become cartoonish, and she could see a fully armed, cute cartoon character, like a cat, showing off his skiing skills on the snow.

From the emerald green eyes behind those ski goggles and some subtle micro-expressions, it's clear that this is an animation based on a certain child prodigy.

Similar to the dance in the wheat fields, this projection was also very simple, only a three-minute clip. It showed a cat showing off its skiing skills amidst cheers and attention, looking extremely happy. The music was also very upbeat. At the bottom, there was a watermark indicating the place name: East Flow Island, Hokkaido, Naeba Ski Resort.

Tang Liuli had learned the basics of how to operate the wooden box. As if she had sensed something, after watching this part, she immediately and eagerly switched to the next projection.

This time it's still a real location. In the shaky camera shot, the soft midday light shines on the coast, and the azure water and the nearby beach create a beautiful picture. There are many marine creatures basking in the sun nearby, and seabirds hover here. Waves crash against the rocks, and the sound of guitar strings can be heard. You can faintly hear the ethereal, distant, and clear harmony.

Strangely, no one is playing the guitar in the scene; you can only see a guitar on the beach. With the view zoomed out, the style is different from the real scene. The lines are soft, and the cartoon characters are playing carefree.

This Green Eyed Cat, dressed in a swimsuit, sometimes uses a cherry blossom branch to split a watermelon, sometimes eats ice cream in front of a convenience store, and sometimes happily builds sandcastles with people. At the end of the clip, she coolly picks up a surfboard and rushes into the ocean, surfing joyfully.

During the process, the sound of the guitar gradually faded until it disappeared completely.

Tang Liuli savored the guitar sound hidden in the cheerful melody, and for a moment she was in a daze, because this song was their debut song - <Tumi of Late Winter>.

The girl looked at the watermark at the bottom of the projection.

--Sada, Peninsula Trail.

This is still a real-world place name.

Could it be...?

Her mind was racing, and she continued switching projections as if possessed.

In an instant, the small wooden box in my hand was like a spinning kaleidoscope, gradually changing into various scenes with the twists and turns of the arc and perspective, and the perspective always closely followed the cartoon figure sculpted based on the Green Eyed Cat.

This is like a travelogue filled to the brim.

Tang Liuli can see herself standing at the entrance of the Paris metro, performing on the street with Mysterious Guitarist is obscured by a hood. She can also see herself wandering under the moonlight in the mountain city, being swallowed up by the crowds at Hongyadong. She can even see herself crammed into a rented room, unpacking mountains of packages with other people...

Among them are many more trivial and fragmented scenes of tourism and details of daily life.

For example, brushing your teeth while half-asleep in front of the hotel mirror.

For example, after visiting the town's film museum, you can happily go for a soak in the hot springs.

For example, after running out of travel money, they happily put on an apron, sat in a pink food cart, and worked for the owner who sold grilled sausages and milk tea.

And there were so many more details and trivialities, so vivid and lovely, that had never happened to her. Through these real-life scenes interspersed with animation projections, they were presented to her one by one, as if a gift, prepared over a long period of time and full of heartfelt intentions, had been suddenly opened, and every frame of it was a thought that longed for her to gain joy.

Fifteen minutes later, when the last projected watermark disappeared, the wooden box in my hand finally lost its luster, revealing its true appearance.

Just like its exterior, it was a jewelry box. The interior was nothing special, simply containing a ring that looked like newly woven stamens, with a texture like Liuli or crystal.

The ring's design was familiar, and its color, matching her eyes, resembled a Scottish Green Rose from a fairy tale, a gift woven entirely from the Soul Flower.

Dreamlike, magnificent, and soul-stirring.

"Thud."

Tears fell unnoticed, like a thin mist seeping into the ring, exuding a deep sorrow.

Why are you crying?

Tang Liuli touched the tear stains on her face, slowly regaining her senses, utterly bewildered.

It's strange. Those traces, causes, memories, and emotions should all be gone, yet she can hear sigh after sigh in the darkness, as if she were endlessly reincarnating in that world where there was only despair in the first time, causing some "clues" to surge into her mind, reaching their peak when she saw this ring.

"What... happened to me?"

Surprise, emotion, confusion, sadness, fear, bewilderment—all these were present, but there was also a sense of melancholy, like the line "I wanted to buy osmanthus blossoms and share wine, but it's not like the carefree days of my youth," and a feeling of emptiness upon looking back and finding nothing there.

The girl murmured to herself, and as if possessed, she put the ring on the ring finger of her left hand. She looked at her hand, which made it appear even more delicate and beautiful, and chewed on the sweet, bitter, and bewildered feelings rising from the depths of her chest. She clutched the fabric in front of her chest, her eyes crinkling up, revealing a complex smile.

The empty temple collapsed, its golden splendor bathed in sunlight, melting away with the thick fog into unfamiliar songs. Though many negative emotions surged forth, even more so, there was hope that shattered the deep-seated ills of the past and would permeate the rest of one's life.

This chaotic, ambiguous, nonexistent, and even non-targeted goal made his blood boil, filled his soul with unprecedented energy, and even the [Blood of Sighs] that had returned and merged into him was reverberating and echoing.

To find him/her.

We need to find the person who sent this wooden box and this ring.

Such thoughts, like a demon, permeated my mind, quickly taking over my brain and body like cancer cells.

Tang Liuli murmured:

"Who... are you?"

This music box is a product of magic.

From this perspective, the mysterious person who delivered the gift is most likely a Magical Girl.

At the same time, neither the unforgettable golden wheat fields of her childhood nor her own micro-expressions and habits in the animation are things that ordinary fans can know. In fact, it can be said that the creator of it knows her better than Xiao Shu, Xiao Xuan, and Yayoi.

Therefore, logically speaking, she must know the other person and have a good relationship with him.

However, no matter how much she tried to recall the past or rack her brains, she couldn't find anyone who fit her criteria from her limited social network.

Charlotte is the most fitting choice. She's a good friend I've known since last week. Because of her personality, she cares a lot about the people around her, understands me well, and is more willing to put in so much effort to prepare surprises and gifts for me.

But given the other person's personality, they would never use such a roundabout way to give a gift. More likely, they would launch a direct and open surprise, then happily observe how the other person would react.

As for Xiao Xuan, Xiao Shu, Yayoi...

Xiao Xuan is too straightforward; the gift she gave wasn't even in this style.

Xiao Shu doesn't know much about her past. She had never been abroad before participating in "Flash Dance". In the past six months, when everyone traveled together, the places they went to basically did not overlap with the images in the "music box".

Yayoi has the ingenuity to come up with such ideas, and [Heart Forging] has a natural advantage in this regard, but it can also be rejected for the same reasons.

Tang Liuli calmed herself down and pondered for a while. She then continued to examine the small wooden box in front of her Dad's tombstone, forgetting even to take out the flowers she had put in her bag for offerings. She didn't realize the problem until half an hour later.

Clearly, her mind was completely captivated by the bouquet of roses and the wooden box. Upon arriving in Gloriana, she forgot all about the memorial hall and the newly built ancestral home, devoting herself entirely to solving this mystery.

A long time,

The Green Eyed Cat, employing its extraordinary wisdom, noticed the "flaw" hidden deep within and deduced: